SC Freedom Caucus Upset (Again) Over Subcommittee Leadership

Rep. Thomas Beach during a House of Representatives session in Columbia, S.C. on Tuesday, March 14, 2023. (Travis Bell/STATEHOUSE CAROLINA)

Earlier this week, the South Carolina House of Representatives announced its selections for committee and subcommittee leadership positions. The decisions sparked backlash from members of the South Carolina Freedom Caucus, who voiced outrage over the inclusion of Democrats in leadership roles and on certain subcommittees. According to State Representative Thomas Beach, some subcommittees lack "conservative" legislators or Freedom Caucus members entirely.

Despite holding a supermajority in the State House, Republicans have not escaped internal divisions. The Freedom Caucus, already stung by their failed attempt to unseat Speaker of the House Murrell Smith in favor of their own candidate, Bill Chumley, quickly turned its ire toward the new leadership appointments.

Beach released a list of subcommittees, pointing out that several conservative lawmakers, such as Chris Murphy, Micah Caskey, Richie Yow, Neal Collins, Nathan Ballentine, and Bill Whitmire, hold seats. However, he accused some of these members of being "RINOs" (Republicans In Name Only) and part of a so-called "uniparty" operating within the State House.

Beach expressed his frustration on X (formerly Twitter):

“You can see from my highlights that three of the chairs are Democrats, and there are multiple Democrat legislators on the committees themselves. One of the chairs is actually the leader of the House Democrat Caucus! But not a single conservative legislator was placed on these committees, much less a member of the House Freedom Caucus. This is what the Uniparty looks like. This is what the RINO and Democrat caucuses voted for when they unanimously elected Murrell Smith as Speaker.”

Rep. Jordan Pace, the Freedom Caucus chair, echoed Beach’s grievances, criticizing the appointments in another tweet:

“@SCHouseGOP your Judiciary Chairman reappointed the Dem to chair the Family Law Subcommittee while bumping the Family Caucus leader off of his subcommittee chairmanship. Why are you at war with conservatives?”

While the Freedom Caucus views these appointments as an affront, it is worth noting that allowing minority-party members to chair subcommittees or hold multiple seats is entirely permissible under House rules. The Freedom Caucus’ complaints suggest they believe the minority party should have no influence, overlooking the fact that they themselves represent a minority faction within the broader Republican majority.

This episode underscores the internal fractures among South Carolina Republicans and highlights the Freedom Caucus’ ongoing struggle to exert influence within the legislature. As the supermajority navigates its agenda, the divisions between mainstream Republicans and the Freedom Caucus will likely continue to shape the dynamics of the State House.